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Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Updated 11 Oct 2024

Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer Interview Experiences

2 interviews found

Interview experience
4
Good
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
2-4 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via Referral and was interviewed before Oct 2023. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

It was 2 easy/medium question on codilty

Round 2 - Technical 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. System Design - Design a component of Messaging service
  • Ans. 

    Design a scalable and reliable messaging service component

    • Use a distributed system architecture to handle high volume of messages

    • Implement message queues for asynchronous communication

    • Ensure message delivery with retries and acknowledgements

    • Support message encryption for security

    • Include monitoring and logging for performance tracking

  • Answered by AI

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Company Website and was interviewed in Sep 2021. There were 3 interview rounds.

Round 1 - One-on-one 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. Basics of python and resume
Round 2 - Coding Test 

Based on resume and one coding based on finding the nested list and dictionary values and validate.

Round 3 - Case Study 

Lot of case studies and situations based on security

Interview Preparation Tips

Topics to prepare for Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer interview:
  • Python
  • AWS
  • Terraform
  • Docker
  • JSON
  • QA Testing
  • API Testing
  • cybersecurity
Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - I was interviewed for Cloud and python mostly so coding without DSA was fine.

Staff Engineer Interview Questions Asked at Other Companies

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Q2. Search In Rotated Sorted Array Problem Statement Given a rotated ... read more
Q3. Minimum Jumps Problem Statement Bob and his wife are in the famou ... read more
Q4. Level Order Traversal of Binary Tree Given a Binary Tree of integ ... read more
asked in Nagarro
Q5. How to write HTML code considering web accessibility for disabled ... read more

Interview questions from similar companies

I was interviewed before May 2021.

Round 1 - Video Call 

(2 Questions)

Round duration - 45 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical Interview round with questions on DSA

  • Q1. 

    Level Order Traversal of Binary Tree

    Given a Binary Tree of integers, your task is to return the level order traversal of the tree.

    Input:

    The first line contains an integer 'T' which denotes the number...
  • Ans. 

    Return the level order traversal of a Binary Tree of integers.

    • Perform a level order traversal using a queue data structure

    • Start by pushing the root node into the queue

    • Pop each node from the queue, print its value, and push its children into the queue

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Swap Adjacent Bit Pairs Problem Statement

    Given an integer N, your task is to compute the number that results from swapping each even position bit of N's binary representation with its adjacent odd bit to...

  • Ans. 

    Swap each even position bit of an integer with its adjacent odd bit to the right in binary representation.

    • Iterate through the binary representation of the integer and swap adjacent bits at even positions with odd positions.

    • Convert the modified binary representation back to an integer to get the final result.

    • Handle edge cases like leading zeros in binary representation.

  • Answered by AI
Round 2 - Video Call 

(3 Questions)

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical round with questions on Networking.

  • Q1. What are the various components of an IP packet header?
  • Ans. 

    Components of an IP packet header

    • Version

    • Header Length

    • Type of Service

    • Total Length

    • Identification

    • Flags

    • Fragment Offset

    • Time to Live

    • Protocol

    • Header Checksum

    • Source IP Address

    • Destination IP Address

    • Options

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
  • Ans. 

    TCP is connection-oriented, reliable, and slower, while UDP is connectionless, unreliable, and faster.

    • TCP is connection-oriented, meaning it establishes a connection before sending data, while UDP is connectionless and does not establish a connection.

    • TCP is reliable as it ensures all data packets are received in order and retransmits any lost packets, while UDP does not guarantee delivery or order of packets.

    • TCP is slo...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What are the various components of a TCP segment header?
  • Ans. 

    The TCP segment header consists of various components that help in the transmission of data over a network.

    • Source Port

    • Destination Port

    • Sequence Number

    • Acknowledgment Number

    • Data Offset

    • Reserved

    • Flags

    • Window Size

    • Checksum

    • Urgent Pointer

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Eligibility criteriaAbove 7 CGPAJuniper Networks interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - Data Structures, Algorithms, Networking, Aptitude, OOPSTime required to prepare for the interview - 5 monthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Must do Previously asked Interview as well as Online Test Questions.
Tip 2 : Go through all the previous interview experiences from Codestudio and Leetcode.
Tip 3 : Do at-least 2 good projects and you must know every bit of them.

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Have at-least 2 good projects explained in short with all important points covered.
Tip 2 : Every skill must be mentioned.
Tip 3 : Focus on skills, projects and experiences more.

Final outcome of the interviewRejected

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview Questionnaire 

10 Questions

  • Q1. Bit manipulation programs?
  • Q2. IP packet header and meaning of each field and usage of each field
  • Ans. 

    IP packet header fields and their usage

    • Version: indicates the IP version being used (IPv4 or IPv6)

    • Header Length: specifies the length of the IP header

    • Type of Service: used to prioritize packets

    • Total Length: specifies the total length of the IP packet

    • Identification: used to identify fragments of a larger packet

    • Flags: used to control fragmentation

    • Fragment Offset: used to reassemble fragmented packets

    • Time to Live: specifi...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. IP fragmentation
  • Q4. TCP packet header and meaning of each field and usage of each field
  • Ans. 

    TCP packet header fields and their usage

    • TCP packet header consists of 20 bytes

    • Fields include source and destination ports, sequence and acknowledgement numbers, flags, window size, and checksum

    • Source and destination ports identify the endpoints of the connection

    • Sequence and acknowledgement numbers are used for reliable data transfer

    • Flags indicate the purpose of the packet, such as SYN, ACK, FIN, RST

    • Window size is used ...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q5. Dictionary implementation program
  • Ans. 

    A program to implement a dictionary using an array of strings.

    • Use an array of strings to store the words and their definitions.

    • Implement functions to add, delete, and search for words.

    • Consider using a hash table for faster search times.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q6. Telephone directory implementation program
  • Ans. 

    Implement a telephone directory program using an array of strings.

    • Create an array of strings to store the directory

    • Implement functions to add, delete, and search for entries

    • Consider using a hash table for faster search times

    • Include error handling for invalid input

  • Answered by AI
  • Q7. Tcp Vs udp
  • Ans. 

    TCP is a reliable, connection-oriented protocol while UDP is a faster, unreliable, connectionless protocol.

    • TCP ensures data delivery and error checking while UDP does not.

    • TCP establishes a connection before data transfer while UDP does not.

    • TCP is used for applications that require reliable data transfer like email, file transfer, etc. while UDP is used for applications that require speed like online gaming, video strea

  • Answered by AI
  • Q8. Why security is important in a system?
  • Ans. 

    Security is important in a system to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber attacks.

    • Prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data

    • Protects against data breaches and cyber attacks

    • Ensures confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data

    • Compliance with regulations and standards

    • Maintains trust and confidence of customers and stakeholders

  • Answered by AI
  • Q9. Level printing of a tree program
  • Ans. 

    Printing a tree in level order

    • Use a queue to store nodes in level order

    • Enqueue root node and print its value

    • Dequeue the node and enqueue its children

    • Repeat until queue is empty

  • Answered by AI
  • Q10. How do you swap two particular bits of an integer program?
  • Ans. 

    Swapping two particular bits of an integer program.

    • Use bitwise operators to get the values of the two bits to be swapped

    • Use XOR operator to swap the bits

    • Shift the bits back to their original positions

    • Example: Swapping 2nd and 5th bits of 8 (1000) gives 32 (100000)

    • Example code: num ^= (1 << bit1) | (1 << bit2);

  • Answered by AI

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview experience
1
Bad
Difficulty level
Hard
Process Duration
2-4 weeks
Result
Not Selected

I applied via Company Website and was interviewed in May 2024. There was 1 interview round.

Round 1 - Assignment 

The task was a Codility type

Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
Easy
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed in Aug 2024. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

Dataweave logic questions

Round 2 - HR 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Basic HR questions
  • Q2. Prepare basic interview answers

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Easy and fast interview process
Round 1 - Resume Shortlist 
Pro Tip by AmbitionBox:
Keep your resume crisp and to the point. A recruiter looks at your resume for an average of 6 seconds, make sure to leave the best impression.
View all tips
Round 2 - Coding Test 

Easy problem on java

Round 3 - One-on-one 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. Technical discussion

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Prepare well on the CV details

I applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed in Sep 2020. There was 1 interview round.

Interview Questionnaire 

6 Questions

  • Q1. Data structure and C++
  • Q2. Reverse Linked list
  • Q3. Multi threaded queue
  • Q4. Design pattern
  • Q5. Basic C++ concepts
  • Q6. Puzzles

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Solve data structure problems
Interview experience
4
Good
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
2-4 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via Recruitment Consulltant

Round 1 - Resume Shortlist 
Pro Tip by AmbitionBox:
Don’t add your photo or details such as gender, age, and address in your resume. These details do not add any value.
View all tips
Round 2 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Threading: Write and use a mutex?
  • Ans. 

    A mutex is a synchronization primitive that ensures only one thread can access a resource at a time.

    • Create a mutex object using the appropriate library or language-specific function.

    • Lock the mutex before accessing the shared resource to prevent other threads from accessing it.

    • Unlock the mutex after finishing the operation on the shared resource to allow other threads to access it.

    • Example: pthread_mutex_t mutex; pthread...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Find the memory leak in a given set of code.
  • Ans. 

    Identify memory leak in code

    • Check for any dynamically allocated memory that is not being freed

    • Look for any infinite loops or recursive functions that consume memory

    • Use memory profiling tools like Valgrind to detect leaks

    • Check for any global variables that are not properly managed

  • Answered by AI

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Company Website and was interviewed in May 2022. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Aptitude Test 

Logical reasoning And aptitude test

Round 2 - Coding Test 

C++, python and Java programming

Interview Preparation Tips

Topics to prepare for Gen Software Engineer interview:
  • C++
  • Python
Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - I am interested for this company opportunity for giving me and I am so happy and giving me for work from home job

Palo Alto Networks Interview FAQs

How many rounds are there in Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer interview?
Palo Alto Networks interview process usually has 2-3 rounds. The most common rounds in the Palo Alto Networks interview process are Coding Test, One-on-one Round and Case Study.
How to prepare for Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer interview?
Go through your CV in detail and study all the technologies mentioned in your CV. Prepare at least two technologies or languages in depth if you are appearing for a technical interview at Palo Alto Networks. The most common topics and skills that interviewers at Palo Alto Networks expect are Python, GCP, Cloud Computing, Cloud Security and Data Structures.
What are the top questions asked in Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer interview?

Some of the top questions asked at the Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer interview -

  1. System Design - Design a component of Messaging serv...read more
  2. basics of python and res...read more

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Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer Interview Process

based on 1 interview

Interview experience

4
  
Good
View more

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Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer Salary
based on 27 salaries
₹15 L/yr - ₹46.2 L/yr
17% less than the average Staff Engineer Salary in India
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based on 2 reviews

4.4/5

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4.4

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3.8

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5.0

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4.4

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4.4

Company culture

3.8

Promotions

4.4

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